Senior Automation & Controls Engineer

1w1 week ago

K2 Space

Los Angeles, US · Full-time · $140,000 – $175,000

About this role

K2 is building the largest and highest-power satellites ever flown, unlocking performance levels previously out of reach across every orbit. Backed by $450M from leading investors including Altimeter Capital, Redpoint Ventures, T. Rowe Price, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and Alpine Space Ventures—with an additional $500M in signed contracts—we’re mass-producing the highest-power satellite platforms ever built for missions from LEO to deep space.

You’ll be at the heart of bringing the production system to life. K2 has a strong push to vertically integrate our production system, which means you’ll work side-by-side with the production and engineering team to concept, develop, and roll out various automation projects to support this vision.

This role is built for someone who executes quickly, thrives in a fast-paced environment, and wants to take ownership early. You’ll draw on your deep technical intuition, contribute to systems that scale, and have impact in increasingly complex challenges as we push towards higher-rate production.

With multiple launches planned through 2026 and 2027, we're Building Bigger to develop the solar system and become a Kardashev Type II (K2) civilization. If you are a motivated individual excited about contributing to the success of a groundbreaking Series C space startup, we’d love for you to apply.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in mechanical, manufacturing, aerospace, materials or other relevant engineering discipline
5+ years of experience in a high-volume manufacturing, production, or hands-on engineering environment
2+ years of experience working in industrial automation and controls in a production environment
Experience conceiving, designing, and developing electromechanical automation assemblies
Hands-on experience with machine design, robotics, and computer vision systems
Proficiency in PLC programming and HMI development for production systems
Knowledge of strategies to improve production takt rate and first pass yield

Responsibilities

Collaborate with mechanical, electrical, and production engineers to ensure seamless production automation across hardware and control layers
Conceive, design, and develop production tooling electromechanical automation assemblies either in-house or through vendors
Own hands-on buildout, activation, and qualification of automation and controls projects across the production line spanning machine design, robotics, computer vision, and other systems
Shape and implement HMI strategy and PLC automation to make machines easy to operate with repeatable results
Understand build flow, production reliability, and process control to implement strategies increasing production takt rate and first pass yield